After months of voting, controversy, and lots and lots of live music, L.A. Weekly has a winner in our best live band contest. Take a bow, Mars and the Massacre!

Our judges were unanimous in their decision: Mars and the Massacre has a live show that is so explosive and so much fun, there was really no contest. To get a sense of what one of their performances is like, check out our original video above, and be sure to read our profile, as well.

Live, they switch from punk to metal to jazz to whatever they're feeling at the moment. To make a long story short, they simply shred: "We're really loud and fast," Ethan Walden told Artemis Thomas-Hansard - hence the "Massacre" part of their name.

At different times, Walden plays both drums and bass, trading off with Peter Doherty, who also switches off with John Newell on the vocal lead. It's exciting to watch, and works better than it sounds, considering that each multi-instrumentalist member can really play.

But they also don't take themselves too seriously, and aren't afraid to experiment with their live show, whether adding samples, using a looping machine, wearing odd costumes, pouring fake blood on themselves, or simply jamming out to a 23 minute Pink Floyd cover.

But enough description. Go see them yourselves! Here's a list of their upcoming shows:

Ben Westhoff is the former L.A. Weekly music editor, author of Dirty South and a forthcoming book on classic L.A. gangsta rap, for Hachette. He's written for Rolling Stone, Vice, Village Voice and Deadspin, and is currently a columnist for the Guardian.